The Action-Research.AI initiative is led by Şirin Soyöz Yılmaz and Richard Smith (see their bios below). As previous research has shown, the agency, motivation, well-being and performance of teachers and their students can all be improved through engagement in (Exploratory) Action Research. For more teachers to engage in (E)AR, though, an expansion of mentoring is important, and there are too few mentors who have the special skills and training required. This is why we are exploring the potential of generative AI with the goal of expanding and enhancing practitioner research involvement.
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Şirin Soyöz Yılmaz is a PhD candidate in Curriculum and Instruction with a background in English Language Teaching and Online and Distance Education. She is a research mentor who collaborates with organizations like the British Council as a consultant and research mentor in Action Research projects and building (research) communities of practice for teachers, teacher educators and school leaders. She has worked on international collaborations to build research cultures for school improvement, including projects such as the British Council’s Exploratory Action Research Project in Georgia, and Action Research Grants.
Richard Smith is a Professor of ELT & Applied Linguistics at the University of Warwick. He originated the Exploratory Action Research approach to CPD for school teachers working in ‘difficult’ Global South circumstances, and is also well-known for his work supporting mentors of teacher-research. As former coordinator of the IATEFL Research SIG, he founded the Teachers Research! series of conferences and launched the SIG’s open-access book publication programme. He also conceived the International Festival of (Mentoring) Teacher-Research (three iterations to date) and is the founding chair of MenTRnet – an international support network for teacher-research mentors.